Among the many surprises Cameron Peters has up his sleeve is that although his 2002-reg Audi S8 is classed as Euro 3 for emissions purposes, it is, he tells me, exempt from London’s ULEZ charge.
Generally speaking, only petrol cars certified as being Euro 4 and above (the classification was introduced in 2005) satisfy the NOx emissions standard used to determine the charge, making them exempt.
However, so long as it meets the NOx standard, a Euro 3 car is also exempt. Cameron’s 23-year-old Euro 3 S8 is just such a vehicle. Transport for London’s ULEZ registration checker confirms it.
Cameron, who is a year younger than his S8, bought it three years ago as his first car. He was just 19. So why did he buy a high-performance saloon and not something more practical like a run-of-the-mill Vauxhall Corsa?
“I wanted a V8,” he replies, matter-of-factly. “I could have had a Corsa like everyone else my age but an S8 is more comfortable. Insurance was £1600 in the first year, which seemed reasonable, and has since fallen to £700. And, of course, it doesn’t attract the ULEZ charge!”
So that’s the big surprise out of the way but there are others, including the time Cameron whipped the big S8’s engine and gearbox out on his driveway. “I had to rebuild the gearbox myself because to pay a garage to do it would have bankrupted me,” he says.
“It weighs around 160kg and had to come out along with the engine. The fault that the five-speed Tiptronic gearbox had a failed bearing in the clutch pack is shared by most older S8s. Fortunately, parts are easily available.
“It’s supposed to be a sealed-for-life gearbox filled with lifetime oil but, in reality, it’s good for only around 100,000 miles. The way to avoid the problem is with 60,000-mile oil changes.”
With the engine and gearbox out of the car, Cameron also took the opportunity to replace the original shocks with Bilstein items (“they’ve sharpened the handling”) and renew the front subframe. “
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